Don't look now, but Texas and running back Malcolm Brown (28) are 5-0 in the Big 12 and threatening the top 25. / Brendan Maloney, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

One contender for No. 1 has played two ranked teams and won by a combined score of 74-42. A second has played a pair of ranked teams and won by a score of 87-38. A third is 3-0 against ranked teams, with those wins coming by 155-28.

The first team is Alabama, the second Oregon. The third is Florida State, which continued its convincing run through the ACC with a dominating 41-14 win against rival Miami (Fla.). Now 8-0, FSU has made a very strong case for receiving some first-place votes in this week's USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, set to be released midday Sunday.

But the Seminoles have not done enough to unseat Alabama or Oregon from the top two spots in the poll. The Crimson Tide and Ducks have their strongest tests this week on the road to a perfect regular season. On Thursday, the Ducks travel to Stanford to decide the Pac-12 North Division. Saturday, Alabama plays host to LSU.

Another three top-10 teams â?? Stanford, Baylor and Oklahoma â?? had an idle weekend. Like Oregon and Stanford, the Bears and Sooners meet Thursday in the biggest game of the Big 12 season. With Ohio State and Missouri holding serve, Miami is the lone team set to drop out of the top 10.

So the Hurricanes could fall behind several two-loss teams, like LSU, Texas A&M and South Carolina. Once the lowest-ranked undefeated team, Miami should now become the lowest-ranked team with only one loss.

It will also be interesting to see how far a few teams climb after successful Saturdays. One is Northern Illinois, which swamped Massachusetts, 63-19, to move to 9-0. The Huskies' excellence could vault them ahead of similarly undefeated Fresno State, which in turn could move NIU into the top non-AQ spot in the new BCS standings.

Another is Michigan State, which put together one of the year's most dominating defensive performances in its 29-6 win against rival Michigan. Long one of the nation's most underrated teams, MSU could be set for a notable climb from No. 24 into the top 20.